ncert solutions

Excercises

1. Every village in India is surveyed once in ten years during the Census and some of the details are presented in the following format. Fill up the following based on information on Palampur.

a. LOCATION:
b. TOTAL AREA OF THE VILLAGE:
c. LAND USE (in hectares):

Cultivated Land		Land not available for cultivation (Area covering dwellings, roads, ponds, grazing ground)
Irrigated	Unirrigated
-	-	26 hectares

d. FACILITIES:

Educational	-
Medical	-
Market	-
Electricity Supply	-
Communication	-
Nearest Town	-

Answer

a. LOCATION: Bulandshahar district, Western Uttar Pradesh
b. TOTAL AREA OF THE VILLAGE: 226 hectares
c. LAND USE (in hectares):

Cultivated Land		Land not available for cultivation (Area covering dwellings, roads, ponds, grazing ground)
Irrigated	Unirrigated
200 hectares	-	26 hectares

d. FACILITIES:

Educational	2 primary schools and 1 high school
Medical	1 primary health centre and 1 private dispensary
Market	Raiganj and Shahpur
Electricity Supply	Most of the houses have electric connections. Electricity powers all the tube wells in the fields and is used in various types of small businesses.
Communication	Well-connected with neighbouring villages and towns. 3 kms from Raiganj. All-weather road connects it to Raiganj and further on to Shahpur. Many kinds of transport like bullock carts, tongas, bogeys, motorcycles, jeeps, tractors and trucks are present.
Nearest Town	Shahpur

2. Modern farming methods require more inputs which are manufactured in industry. Do you agree?

Answer

Modern farming methods involve the use of high-yielding variety seeds. These seeds require a combination of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, agricultural implements like tractors, and proper irrigation facilities like electric tube wells to produce the best results. All these elements are manufactured in industries. Hence, it would be right to say that modern farming methods make use of a greater number of industrial outputs as compared to traditional farming methods.

3. How did the spread of electricity help farmers in Palampur?

Answer

The spread of electricity has helped the farmers of Palampur village in the following ways :
→ Most of the houses have electric connections.
→ Electricity is used to run tubewells in the fields.
→ Electricity is used in various types of small business.

4. Is it important to increase the area under irrigation? Why?

Answer

India is an agricultural country. Nearly two-thirds of the people are dependent on farming for
their livelihood. But of the total cultivated area in the country, a little less than 40 per cent is
irrigated even today. In the remaining areas, farming is largely dependent on rainfall which is
irregular and uncertain. Modern farming methods cannot be used in the absence of assured
adequate water supplies. India cannot achieve the goal of self-sufficiency in food grains unless
the area under irrigation is increased.

5. Construct a table on the distribution of land among the 450 families of Palampur.

Answer

Number of families	Land (hectare)
150	0
240	Less than 2
60	More than 2

6. Why are the wages for farm labourers in Palampur less than minimum wages?

Answer

Farm workers at Palampur village get lower wages than the minimum wages fixed by the
government. The minimum wages for a farm labourer is fixed at Rs 115 per day. But farm
labourers get only Rs 70 - 80. This happens because of heavy competition for work among the
farm labourers at Palampur village.

8. What are the different ways of increasing production on the same piece of land? Use examples to explain.

Answer

The different ways of increasing production on the same piece of land are:

→ Multiple Cropping : It is the most common way of increasing production on a given piece of land. Under it, more than one crop is grown on the same piece of land during the year. Indian farmers should grow at least two main crops in a year. In India, some farmers are growing a third crop also over the past 20 years.

→ Modern Farming Methods : Production on the same piece of land can also be increased by adopting modern farming methods. The Green Revolution in India is a remarkable example of it. Under modern farming, more cultivable areas should be brought under HYV seeds and irrigation. The use of simple wooden plough must be replaced by tractors. The increasing use of farm machinery like tractors, threshers, harvesters, etc. make cultivation faster.

9. Describe the work of a farmer with 1 hectare of land.

Answer

A farmer with 1 hectare of land shall put under the category of small farmer. Most of the work would be done by the farmer and his family members. The farmer will normally use a pair of bullocks to plough the field. His family members would assist him in sowing the seeds. During harvest time, he may require to hire some labourers.

10. How do the medium and large farmers obtain capital for farming? How is it different from the small farmers?

Answer

Medium and large farmers usually have surplus cash by selling their farm produce. Since they have land and house, they easily get loan from banks. Small farmers, on the other hand, may not be able to get bank loans. They have to depend on the local merchant and moneylender for loan.

11. On what terms did Savita get a loan from Tejpal Singh? Would Savita's condition be different if she could get a loan from the bank at a low rate of interest?

Answer

Savita required money for buying seeds, fertilisers and pesticides, and water for irrigation. She also needed money for repairing her farm instruments. So, she decided to borrow money from Tejpal Singh, a large farmer in her village. Tejpal Singh agreed to give the loan of Rs. 3000 at an interest rate of 24 per cent for four months. He also got her to agree to work on his field during the harvest season for Rs. 35 a day.

Savita’s condition would have been better if she could get a loan from the bank. The bank would have provided her the loan at a low rate of interest. Moreover, Savita could have devoted more time on her own field instead of working for Tejpal Singh as farm labourer.

14. What can be done so that more non-farm production activities can be started in villages?

Answer

Three things that need to be done to encourage non-farm production activities in villages:
→ The government should set up schemes whereby landless labourers and small farmers are able to get cheap loans to start small individual/community businesses.
→ In addition to financial assistance, the government should set up rural workshops to enable the villagers to build on their skill levels.
→ The government should also work towards improving the infrastructure of villages so that the rural parts of the country are well connected to the urban areas.